Letter: Survey misleads voters about fire tax

EDITOR,
I received a telephone call, presumably from the company conducting the county-authorized $30,000 public opinion survey, regarding increasing tax to property owners for the Santa Cruz County Fire Department (CSA 48).
Some of the questions I was asked were prefaced by erroneous or misleading statements. For example, I was told reasons given by those who favor the County Fire tax increase include “disastrous fires of the last two years.” The truth is that those “wildland fires” occurred in the State Responsibility Area, where Cal Fire pays all costs year-round. Those fires more likely produced revenue than expense to the County Fire Department, because the state pays County Fire rental for county equipment used on such wildland fires.
It is disappointing that the county evidently did not ensure the accuracy of statements to be read to potential voters or property owners.